which sneakers freak(er)s ?

So I recently bought for the first time the Melbourne produced but globally leading sneaker intelligence zine and aptly named Sneaker Freaker, which also has a great website. They link out to a passionate set of daily publishing independent sneaker blogs with great names like SneakerFiles, SneakerNews, SneakerObsession, KicksonFire, The Freshness, HypeBeast, SlamXHype, Selectism, KicksFinder, Highsnobiety, DrunknButterfly, Size, Kix and the City, Sold Out.

These titles are another example of a niche where 100 high quality blogs can really provide indepth coverage once u discover and subscribe to the high authority leaders in a field : Which isnt necessarily easy - Ive been online 16 hours a day for 3.5 years and only recently have a good set of feed_subs to sneaker blogs. If only google or someone would turn the sharing and noting function into a microblogging meets ecommerce folksonomy tool! Maybe when the googlers who left for friendfeed; Leave friendfeed for next gen lifestreaming, which they would do by attacking the ecommerce lifestreaming where all the monetization dollars should be (the way riya turned into like.com) - not in the scoble/louisgray nerd cheerleading around a friendfeed pizza evening brought to u by fastcompany on qik.

The Sneaker not so Freaky if u ask me given how ubiquitous kicks are, have hit issue twelve and to give you an idea of scale (and value for $9.95 given how many hours of reading u get out of it, seriously ive read it 4 nights in a row like a novel - they have a 50 page feature on vintage sneakers and same amount on new models) : So Sneaker Freaker were sent 1000 'kicks' by the Nikes of this world, as a pair is called, to review and I hope not send back, just for the current issue. Now I assume they look outside what they are sent, and when combined with google, rss, email from other sn-freaks and active webforums, I'm guessing they see more than just a few sneaks. Its the classic opinion leaders connecting their thoughts to influencers, who the nikes then tailor premium models for and so down the chain it goes. Basically Devil Wears Prada, for males.

So it's not surprising Melbourne's Sneaker Freaker have recently designed their own 'collab' with Reebok, which means they get to put their own signature features and colours - plus co-branding - and sell a product in the market and make money. (a black nubuck version comes out in June which looks phat!) If only other markets were so advanced. The good thing is, no need to replicate the manufacturing + distribution overhead. These collabs are a huge thing, with blogs the perfect promotional channel, and they help drive always on innovation, premium pricing and thus margins, and basically allow the highly fickle, demanding and always ready to have one more sneaker peep some more choices.

For me, who everyday in everyway is trying to stay clean of a long term sneaker addiction - its been hard doing a startup and not being able to buy a pair of sneakers each quarter or more depending on what is out - which unfortunately following the old rule: if u have money there is nothing available u like to buy, but if u dont - like me, coz u r waiting to get paid, there is an abundance of must have items.

The irony too, which is also just a way of trying to shift the purchase into an 'essential' item and therefore justifiable as a startup founder, is I've been on the treadmill alot (40kms+ a week) and am doing so in Nike Airforce 1 Lows - which are a basketball shoe. Not exactly the Asics Kayanos I used to have when I ran.

So I also wanted some sneaks that were black as I'm in Melbourne and winter is coming up and we all wear black - jeans, leather jackets. If u r in Melbourne or have been, we dont believe in fluoro colours in the way we perceive Bondi celebs on a brisk beach walk on the way to morning pilates.

I've also tried to diversify away from Nike (the superfuture forum and related fashion blogs are very into Common Projects - its esp kewl when its the retailers selling the product who blog daily about their product and their rationale for stocking the item, its history and their overall passion for it seeps thru thus closing the difference between seller and buyer) : As even with Nike's Retro line, it could be argued is GenY. (as an X once argued to me that nike is for teenagers : when i turned up to a first date in a new $320 pair of Nike Air Cross trainers limited edition : but i tell u she couldnt of care less or even be aware of limited edition... she just thought they were childish - well so she later told me when we were moving into the honesty is the best policy stage of the rship or the what shits me about u stage.) Maybe she had/has a point. I am goddamn 34 years old after all. Im no 23 yr old Facebook founding billionaire with 12 pairs of the same Adidas sandals, alleged.

But today when I walked into the Nike store (just to see y'know that i wasnt missing anything), I got that typical rush of seeing new product or should I say new 'old' product + how kewl that u can see the kicks u had as a teenager (its been a lifelong addiction) Just like the way auto manufacturers brought back mustangs, cobras etc to sell to baby boomers who couldnt afford car when younger. Its just a genx cheaper version.

And the ones that were getting me a bit excited (pictured Option 1+2 esp Option 2) - The Nike Air Stabs were in my highschool collection. And they're a running shoe, so I need them. For my health and fitness. An essential purchase. Option 1, the black and white ones look more reasonable, but I luv the way the burgundy ones have laces that go lighter further up the shoe as the colour of the sneaker change (pictured right) are totally in my favour. Good products are all about the details. As well as sheer performance.

Option 1 + 2 : Air Stab : Black/White or Black/Burgundy/Gold.











Price : $199AU on Chapel Street
Availability : Yes :) In store, no online ordering and getting size/look wrong. Werent even on the radar till I walked into store today after meeting with Naked agency on Chapel st. The laces are mad on pair on right they change colour if u look close or check my flickr here.











The only problem is the other big Aussie produced collab, is the one by Provider a sneaker store in Melbourne who have made a shoe with New Balance. These are by far my absolute favourite most desired sneaker. Except 2 problems. The providerNB's are $299 vs $199 for the Nikes. Thats alot of coin when u could get some Hudson Italian (i think?) loafers for the same price. There are also the new Adidas Oregons for 52 pounds, probably $140 or less landed downunder.

Option 3 - Provider NB 1500 Collab Ltd Edn













Price : $299 AU vfnexpensive
Availability : Ultra limited edition only few hundred ppl will have to line up with ppl in Melbourne CBD this Saturday or they will be all be gone. So unless money appears in my account in next 24 hours. Im going to have to tell myself these sneakers wont go with the tapered jeans look that is in, that the aussie made imperial shearer jeans i have ordered but not paid:) as they (the NBs) wont be 'skinny' enough if u get what i mean. Skinny jeans need skinny shoes or u look like a right bogan. And not in a good way.

I thought I had the problem solved when I found a pair of Adidas ZX-600 new retro line in a collab with C-Law. And they were only $85US plus shipping. Bargain, but guess what ? I went back to my delicious link and no more stock. Limited run. All gone, no one else selling heck google apart from some old blog posts has nothing. Nor ebay. Not even fakes.

Option 4 - Adidas ZX-600 C-Law Collab Ltd Edn Classics















Price : $85 US + Shipping ie $130 Aussie.
Soldout! Was going to get these as I liked them as much as the New Balances' but were 1/3rd of price. Similar colour scheme : The aqua blue in the Adidas and the NB's look awesome, when combined with burgundy like pictured left or in the NBs case with charcoal. (perfect for blue or black jeans - when pure black sneakers r sometimes limiting to match with) Still looking for them online in 10.5/43 :) Where r u ZX600s in this colourway Claw edition ?

So what sneakers to buy peeps ? Click the poll and help me. I think the next big thing or one next big thing anyway, is to cross kaboodle, friendfeed + yahoo answers so u could have a discover, subscribe and recommend product lifestream where the first vertical (joking, well about the vertical anyway) is sneakers:) Then we could move onto $5k-$50k Audemars Piguet, Hublot and Chopard watches then $50k to $200k supercars. (well that is US dollars) In Australia the same $70k US porsche is $190K US locally as has been mentioned prior; Rudd + his alcopop tax mentality is scary. Make stuff cheaper Kevin, its easy.

Option 5 - Adidas Oregon Classics















Price : 52 pounds + Shipping ie $140 Aussie. Available!

But I digress, which sneakers pictured should I get* ? :)

Option 1. Nike AirStab : Black and White
Option 2. Nike AirStab : Burgundy and Black
Option 3. New Balance Provider Collab
Option 4. Adidas ZX600
Option 5. Adidas Oregon

* By get I mean, when we get paid, then once I get paid, after all the outgoings... y'know.